


blue

by firelrd



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, LETS GO LESBIANS LETS GO, M/M, Post-Finale, azula be hating herself after losing the agni kai, azula redemption arc yeah yeah, katara aims to change that, ozai is a shit parent, shes also in prison, yeah idk what else to say just read it tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:13:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25617163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelrd/pseuds/firelrd
Summary: For the longest time, Azula believed her destiny was to bring glory and triumph to the Fire Nation in her father’s name. She’s a firebending prodigy, the best of her generation; it’s in her blood to fight and win.But she lost.And now she was sitting in this dark prison cell, watching a pitiful, small flame dance around her finger.
Relationships: Azula/Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 116





	blue

**Author's Note:**

> hello this is my first atla fic asf i havent been able to stop thinking about azutara so here's this. hope u like it and if u do pls comment hehe (also shoutout to @avasgf on twitter for throwing ideas around with me for this)

If she could stand, Azula would be furiously pacing. Angrily pacing. Pacing to plot her escape from this dark, dirty concrete cell and get her revenge on her pathetic brother and that Water Tribe peasant girl for putting her there. 

But alas, she couldn’t stand. In fact, she could barely move. 

As much as she hated to admit it, Zuko and his little girlfriend had done quite a number on her. Festering burns marred the skin on much of her left side, and down one of her legs. The girl had managed to get a few hits in, leaving nasty bruises on her arms, a few on her abdomen and her neck was killing her, so she was assuming there was something of a sprain there. Of course, it was two against one, but that didn’t matter to her pride. She had failed. If only Father could see her now.

Father.

If Zuko had managed to best Azula, how had the Firelord fared against the Avatar? Considering she had been in this cell for nearly forty-eight hours, give or take, she’s guessing not well. Part of her was glad; relieved, even, because at least if he was dead he wouldn’t see her this way. He wouldn’t see her weak. The other part of her was ashamed for even thinking that way. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought; she wasn’t weak. This was temporary. She would find a way out of this.

Despite the chains around her wrists trapping her hands together, Azula managed to ignite a small flame on the tip of her pointer finger. It burned a bright, dangerous blue. The sight of it brought her a small amount of peace as she remembered what her firebending master had told her about the color.

_Blue fire is the hottest; the most powerful, the most dangerous. The most controlled. Your flame is indicative of your incredible strength, and not just physically. This fire represents your iron will, your unwavering ability to do what is right, no matter what. Because of your strength, you have the ability to control your own destiny. Remember this, Azula, and you will never fail yourself._

For the longest time, Azula believed her destiny was to bring glory and triumph to the Fire Nation in her father’s name. She’s a firebending prodigy, the best of her generation; it’s in her blood to fight and _win._

But she lost.

And now she was sitting in this dark prison cell, watching a pitiful, small flame dance around her finger. 

She heard footsteps echo from down the hallway, approaching her cell, and she quickly closed her fist, extinguishing the fire. It felt early for one of the guards to be bringing her a meal, but she’d take it. When she turned around on the hard mattress to see who had come to greet her, her heart dropped. It was the Water Tribe girl.

“What do _you_ want?” Azula sneered, hissing sharply in pain as she sat up quickly to face her intruder. Her hand flew to her side in an attempt to provide any sort of release from the sting. Katara said nothing; she just stared at Azula from the other side of the bars. “If you’re here to gloat about your victory, just get it over with already.”

“I’m not- That’s not why I’m here,” Katara stuttered out the reply, her eyes still trained on the prisoner. Azula eyed her warily, fists clenched tightly. Katara shakily produced a key from her pocket and fumbled with it as she unlocked the door to the cell.

“What are you _doing?_ Do you want me to kill you?” Azula’s voice rose as she grew more confused and agitated. 

“You’re in no condition to attack me,” Katara shot back, but Azula noticed the way her back straightened, her eyes widened at the threat. “I’m here to heal you.”

The words hung in the air for a few long moments as Azula struggled to process them.

“Why? What do you want from me? Did dear old Zuzu send you down here? What does _he_ want from me?” At the last question, Azula was nearly screaming, and she stood quickly, trying to get in Katara’s face, trying to intimidate her.

“Zuko doesn’t know I’m here, actually. I don’t want anything from you, Azula. I just want to help you.”

Whether it was from Katara’s words or the amount of energy she used to jump to her feet, Azula didn’t know, but she felt herself collapse roughly onto the ground as the world grew black.

The first time she woke up, Azula thought she was dreaming. Or dead. Quite frankly, she wasn’t sure which of the two options she would prefer. Her eyes blinked open slowly, and she waited for the pain to hit her, like it had every time she’d woken up in her cell, but it never came. Then she realized she wasn’t in the cell, but her own bedroom, in her own bed. She quickly sat up and assessed herself; the bruises on her arms and chest were completely gone, and the burns were much smaller. Her neck still felt sore, but the pain had dramatically lessened, and there was a bandage wrapped around her waist to cover up the burn on her side. 

Suddenly remembering where she was, Azula’s eyes darted around the room, scanning her surroundings. Everything about her bedroom was exactly the same, just as she had left it. Except for one thing. There was a chair pushed up against the door, and Katara was slumped over in it, sleeping soundly. It was obvious that she hadn’t meant to fall asleep, if the book lying open on her lap was any indication. Azula watched her for a while, weighing her options. It would be incredibly easy to kill the girl and escape, as long as she did it soon. One strike; that’s all it would take. Katara would be dead before she even had the chance to wake up.

Azula didn’t know how long she sat there staring at Katara, silently planning her escape, thoughts constantly interrupted by her brain’s annoying acknowledgement of her healed wounds. Eventually, she sunk back down into her pillow and fell asleep.

The second time she woke up, Katara was still there, but this time ready to greet her. She was sitting upright in the chair, and looked up when Azula moved.

“Good, you’re up. You need to eat something,” Katara said shortly, picking up a plate from the table next to her and moving towards the bed to hand it to Azula, who was very aware of the lack of restraints around her wrists. She felt completely free, which was strange, considering the only other person in the room was partly responsible for her imprisonment. Then again, she was pretty sure Katara was also responsible for her removal from the dungeon under the palace.

“How… How long have I been out?” Azula asked, her voice much gentler than she would’ve liked.

“Only about eight hours.”

Azula blinked. “That’s impossible.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. My wounds are almost completely gone; injuries don’t just disappear overnight.”

“They do if a waterbender heals them,” Katara shot back. She dropped the plate of food in Azula’s lap. “Eat.” Azula glanced down at the food, only registering that it wasn’t the gruel served in the dungeons and proceeded to scarf it down.

“Why are you doing this?” Azula asked between bites, completely forgetting about royal etiquette.

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

“It’s only the second time I’ve asked. And because I refuse to believe that anyone is this kind without an ulterior motive. You must want something.”

Katara rolled her eyes. “It’s called empathy, Azula, not that you’d know what that is. I’m helping you because I want to.”

“Does Zuko know I’m no longer in my cell?” Azula asked, ignoring the jab at her character and the pitious look in Katara’s eyes. She didn’t answer the question. Azula sighed. “How long do I have until I go back?”

“I’m working on that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m working on it.” The silence that followed was thick in the air. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Why not? Go ahead.”

“Why haven’t you attacked me yet? I kind of assumed you’d wake up and try to kill me.”

“I tried once, and that didn’t work out very well for me,” Azula answered, gesturing towards the burn on her side. She was lying, of course; in reality, she had no idea why she hadn’t hurled fireballs at Katara’s face the second she opened her eyes. Katara scanned her expression, one eyebrow raised, almost like she could tell Azula’s answer wasn’t the truth.

“Well, I should get going.” Katara turned and walked towards the door. “There’s guards lining the hall and standing below your window. Just thought you should know in case you think about trying to escape.” Then she was gone, the lock clicking behind her.

Azula sighed heavily, then crossed the room and picked up the book that lay forgotten on Katara’s chair. It was a biography of Avatar Kyoshi; it actually looked pretty interesting. She settled back into her bed and began reading, since there was nothing better to do. 


End file.
